Chillicothe City Council approves DORA legislation

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CHILLICOTHE - The city has completed its necessary approvals to get a formal request for creation of a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area into the hands of the state within the 60-day period required for consideration.

During this week's city council meeting, the board voted seven to one in favor of establishing a DORA, with at-large Councilman Dustin Proehl being the lone "no" vote and at-large Councilwoman Jean Kerney absent from the meeting.

A DORA gives businesses with the appropriate liquor permit the option of allowing patrons to consume alcohol purchased from the business outdoors within signed-off areas on the business' property. Unlike current law, those outdoor areas would not have to be fenced off.

A DORA also would allow someone to purchase alcohol from a permitted business for certain community events approved for DORA participation and allow that person to stroll with their drink within approved boundaries for the event during specific hours.

Much of the downtown historic district has been included within the proposed DORA boundaries, as have the hotels along North Plaza Boulevard. The issue has not faced any organized opposition during discussions among council members or at a public hearing conducted on the issue.

Proehl's objection was tied less to business concerns and more toward a concern for local youth.

"My objection is not to businesses making money, but to the message it sends and the example it sets," Proehl said. "As an educator, I have always tried to encourage my students to live a life free of drugs, cigarettes, and even alcohol. Supporting people openly drinking on our downtown streets negates that message."

Municipalities the size of Chillicothe were just granted the opportunity to create a DORA through a change in state law in April. Over the summer, the city's Downtown Development Commission heard a presentation from another municipality that had created one of the districts and, at the urging of the Chillicothe-Ross Chamber of Commerce, agreed to recommend to the city's administration that a DORA be created here.

The intent was two-fold. First, to eliminate the necessity for, in particular, downtown dining establishments to have to create fenced-in areas extending onto downtown sidewalks if they wish to allow patrons to have an alcoholic beverage with their meals while eating outdoors. Second, to provide a tool that would not only be a benefit for those businesses, but nearby businesses that during some specially created DORA events — a sip-and-stroll, for example — would likely see sales opportunities from additional foot traffic as customers sip their drinks while strolling from business to business.

Those who have supported the legislation have said it is very structured and restrictive enough to ensure that it will not result in a "Bourbon Street-type atmosphere," referring to the noted New Orleans district well-known for its party atmosphere.

Council had 60 days from the first publication of an intent to pursue a DORA that was done Nov. 8 to get its work done and put the matter before the state, where it now rests.

In other action during Wednesday's council session, the board approved moving an Ohio 159 widening project from an intermediate priority to a high priority on the city/county thoroughfare plan. The change in the listing of the project, which would involve a widening of the route from Kenworth Drive to Ohio 180, was done in hopes of attracting additional grant funding that could help jump-start the work.

Council also heard the first reading of the 2018 operating budget ordinance. While the current council worked with the administration on constructing the budget, it must be approved early during the next council term that begins Jan. 1.